1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel tool for both removing and inserting a plumbing fixture seal structure. More particularly, the present invention permits one to quickly and easily remove and insert these seal structures in remote areas, even if fluid is still present or flowing through the plumbing fixture.
2. Description of Related Art
All plumbing fixtures utilized for the delivery of a fluid must have some type of seal structure whereby the fluid will only flow through the fixture when desired. Should this seal structure fail, the fluid may flow through the fixture when the valve mechanism is in the off position, or even leak from the plumbing fixture itself. In the case of household fixtures, such as a kitchen or bathtub faucet assembly, the failure of the seal structure is often characterized by water dripping from the faucet. This, of course, necessitates a repair of the seal structure in the fixture.
Two particular types of plumbing fixture in common use in both household and commercial settings are those manufactured by the Delta Faucet Company and the Peerless Faucet Company. A characteristic of these types of fixtures is that the seal structure comprises a hollow, cylindrical rubber cup and a cylindrical, tapered, compression spring, both of which must be inserted into the proper opening in the fixture. Eventually, these components wear out, and the fixtures will begin to leak. The rubber cups may become brittle and cracked, or fail in some other way. Additionally, the springs may lose their memory and fail to perform as intended. Replacement of these two elements will often stop any leakage that occurs through the fixtures, and is normally rather inexpensive. Certainly this replacement is much less expensive than replacing the entire plumbing fixture.
The replacement of these elements essentially only requires the removal of the old components and insertion of new ones. While this may seem simple enough, the shape of the cups and springs, as well as the configuration of the plumbing fixture itself will often make this task rather difficult.
In the case of the rubber cups and springs utilized in Delta and Peerless brand fixtures, both elements must be placed in the appropriate opening together. As its name implies, the rubber cup must also be seated inside this opening so that a firm seal is formed between the outer edges of the rubber cup and the circumference of the opening. Further complicating this process is the fact that the compression spring is inserted into the opening before the rubber cup, thereby providing a force opposing any effort to seat the rubber cup.
Another problem with these repairs is that the configuration of the plumbing fixture itself may make the removal and insertion of the components rather difficult. Often they are placed in a remote location within the fixture itself. For example, the openings into which the components are inserted may be contained deep within a confined area of the plumbing fixture. The placement of the plumbing fixture itself may further complicate the situation, as the portion of the fixture containing the cups and springs may be placed deep within a wall, a cabinet, or some other cramped location.
Even further complicating this process, is the fact that often there will be fluid present in the fixture itself, or even flowing through it. While one would normally shut off the fluid supply to the fixture when performing a repair, this does not necessarily mean that there will be no fluid present when the components are being replaced. Fluid will often remain in the fixture, even though the supply valves have been shut off. The presence of this fluid is especially problematic when one attempts to insert a new cup and spring into the proper opening in the fixture, since the rubber cup must be seated in the opening.
The most difficult situation in which to replace the cups and springs in a plumbing fixture is when fluid is still partially flowing through the fixture itself. In this case, seating the rubber cups may be impossible due to the force of the flowing fluid. While one should never attempt a repair when a fixture is under full pressure (since serious burns from hot fluid may result), often even small amounts of flowing fluid will make seating the rubber cups impossible. This situation can occur due to a number of reasons.
One situation in which fluid may continue to flow through the plumbing fixture is when the supply valves do not function properly. In this situation, fluid may continue to flow, at least partially, through the supply valves and, therefore, through the fixture itself. Due to the problems associated with the prior art methods of replacing the cups and springs, it has usually been more desirable to just allow a plumbing fixture to continue to leak if the fluid supply valves cannot be completely shut off.
Fluid may also continue to flow through the plumbing fixture when a portion of piping between the supply valve and the fixture is located at a higher elevation than the fixture itself. When this is the case, fluid will continue to flow due to gravity through the fixture until that portion of the piping between the supply valve and the fixture which is at a higher elevation than the fixture has completely drained. Depending upon the configuration of the piping, drainage can take a considerable amount of time. If, for example, the fixture is being utilized in a hospital, the delay involved may be completely unacceptable, especially if the supply valve services several fixtures.
Methods that have previously been used for replacing the rubber cups and springs in plumbing fixtures have been rather primitive. One can, often with great difficulty, attempt to both remove and insert the structures by hand without any tools at all. Usually, however, it will be impossible to grasp the tiny cups and springs or to even have enough room to place one's hands in the confined area of the fixture.
Most of the time tools designed for other purposes are used in the repair process, and plumbers themselves generally even resort to these methods. In order to remove the rubber cups and springs, one can insert the tip of a screwdriver or similarly shaped object into the hollow center of the two components and then flick the cup and spring out of the fixture. Of course one has little or no control over the outcome of such a method, and the rubber cup and spring may be lost. They could even end up going down a drain, especially if fluid is still flowing through the fixture.
Inserting a new cup and spring in a plumbing fixture using these primitive methods is even more difficult. One manufacturer recommends placing the components on the end of a pencil, and inserting the end of the pencil into the appropriate opening in the fixture. One can then use either their finger or some type of tool (such as a screwdriver) to force the cup and spring off of the pencil while at the same time holding it in the appropriate opening in the fixture. Obviously, this is a delicate procedure which may take several tries and two hands in a small fixture to be successful. Additionally, the use of a tool such as a screwdriver can easily damage the rubber cups.
Further complicating this procedure is the fact that components such as the rubber cup and spring of Delta and Peerless type fixtures must be properly seated in the appropriate orifice. Once again one's finger or some other tool designed for an entirely different purpose must be used to press the rubber cup into place. Such a process is extremely difficult if the openings into which the structures must be inserted are located in a confined space.
Should fluid be present in, or partially flowing through the plumbing fixture, seating the cups may be impossible by these methods. If fluid is present or flowing through the fixture, it will also be present in or flowing through the orifices into which the cups and springs must be firmly inserted, thereby creating a force opposing the seating of the cup. Furthermore, if a liquid is flowing through the opening into which the structures are to be inserted, attempting to seat a rubber cup will cause the liquid to uncontrollably spray from the area around the cup. Therefore, oftentimes the only solution heretofore has been to either wait until fluid is not flowing through the fixture, or to forego repair of the problem until the fluid flow can be completely shut off.
Consequently, heretofore there has not been available tool for quickly and easily removing and inserting these aforementioned plumbing fixture seal structures, particularly when fluid is present in or flowing through the fixture.